The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
June 8, 2017
If you’re a stranger to the Jimmy Buffett experience, seeing him live won’t necessarily turn you into a full-blown
And you’ll hear some pretty good tunes along the way. “Margaritaville” is in the Grammy Hall of Fame, and I mention that not to praise it but to try to explain just how good the rest of his set was; coming in halfway through the show, it was a nice song, but not one of the standouts of the evening. The man does know how to write a catchy tune and how to select covers that fit into his brand of
It should be noted that he’s got a hell of a right-hand man onstage with him. Mac McAnally plays a damn mean guitar and was excellent on vocals, singing Alan Jackson’s part of “It’s Five O’Clock Somewhere” maybe even better than the man himself. His take on the Allman Brothers' “Little Martha” killed, and I could have listened to him riff on that bit of music for hours.
Even if you don’t like his music, one would have to, at the very least, hold some amount of respect for Mr. Buffett. He’s cultivated a fanbase that most artists would kill for, and their dedication to the good times is mighty. I have no idea if Escape to Margaritaville is going to be any good, but I liked his hustle of working shots from it into his background videos. The man is a hell of a showman, and a hell of a businessman, even if his “suit” doesn’t come with shoes.
Personal Bias: It’s not so much that I’m anti-beach as
The Crowd: A sea of Hawaiian shirts and silly hats, with seemingly endless enthusiasm for hitting beach balls.
Random Notebook Dump: After about 45 minutes, beach balls at a Jimmy Buffett show are super-gross, what with falling into the puddles of beer and all.
Overheard in the Crowd: You know those guys who protest metal concerts? They were across the street